ThinkPad T14s AMD Gen 1: Workhorse that does the business – and dares you to push that red button
- Reference: 1612344608
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2021/02/03/thinkpad_t14_amd_gen_1/
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The ThinkPad T14 series (there's also one with [2]Intel silicon ) replaces the previous T400 series, albeit only in name. The premise remains the same. This is a machine for routine, everyday business computing. It doesn’t rock the boat. Nor would you want it to.
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Still, despite the absence of flair, you’ve got to appreciate Lenovo’s ability to craft a computer, which remains unparalleled. The T14s AMD Gen 1 might not be the best-looking machine we’ve ever used, though we really can’t fault the construction, which shines in subtle yet important ways.
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Thoughtful: the keyboard is seated a few millimetres below the trackpad
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The keyboard is standard ThinkPad fare – well-spaced, with lots of travel, and a classic red “mouse nub”/trackpoint (officially named a "pointing stick" by Lenovo) in the middle. There’s plenty of room between individual keys and rows, with the exception of the function keys, which are densely packed together. In our testing experience, it felt delightfully comfortable to use, even amidst marathon typing sessions.
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Old faithful: the classic red Trackpoint "pointing stick"
I’ve always wondered whether the red nub remains for historical, rather than utilitarian reasons. It’s part of the ThinkPad brand, certainly, but it’s not something you instinctively want to use. Especially considering the T14s AMD comes with a generously sized and responsive trackpad.
Above the trackpad are three physical mouse buttons. Again, I can’t help but wonder if these exist purely for aesthetic reasons. It feels a lot more natural to click the trackpad, which depresses with a satisfying “thunk.” To the right of the trackpad is a small fingerprint reader, which is about half the size of a postage stamp.
Lenovo sheds lockdown pounds with lightweight ThinkPad, reveals price tag for world's first bendy-screen PC [7]READ MORE
The ThinkPad T14 isn’t an ultrabook, and so it’s able to adopt subtle little design tweaks that make day-to-day use feel more comfortable. For example, the keyboard sits a few millimetres below the trackpad, reducing the amount of distance your hands have to travel in order to type. This is one of those things that are easily overlooked, but help create a machine that feels extremely pleasant to use.
Sadly, Lenovo wasn’t exactly generous when it came to the ports. There are two USB-A ports, two USB-C ports (with one doubling as a dock adaptor), and a single HDMI-out jack. Ethernet? No. And since we’re in AMD territory, forget about Thunderbolt.
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Cool as a cucumber - the rear vent grille
At least it does cooling well. There’s a large ventilation grille on the bottom of the device, as well as on the right-hand side of the machine. This is something sometimes sacrificed by laptop manufacturers for aesthetic reasons. Lenovo has no such concerns here, and the ThinkPad runs silent on light loads, and remains quiet even when being taxed.
The display shipped with this unit is a 14-inch, non-touch IPS panel, with a standard 1,920x1,080 resolution. This comes with a 16:9 aspect ratio, which is perhaps a small shame for a productivity-focused device, where a taller 16:10 or 3:2 ratio would have proven more useful.
The screen won’t knock your socks off, but it’s perfectly functional, delivering solid brightness and viewing angles. This can fold flat to a 180-degree angle, and is held in place by two reassuringly-sturdy hinges.
Powering the device is AMD’s Renoir-based Ryzen 7 Pro 4750U processor, built upon TCMS’ 7nm process. This comes with eight cores, supporting sixteen threads in total. The base clock is 1.7Ghz, with a max boos speed up to 4.1Ghz. Predictably, this screams through day-to-day tasks, even proving capable of handling some moderately-intensive gaming at the end of the workday.
The model provided to El Reg by Lenovo came with 512GB storage, provided by a NVMe M.2 flash drive, which opens the door to upgrades later down the line. On the RAM front, the machine has 16GB LPDDR4x soldered. Upgradability ends there, sadly.
Fortunately, battery life proved excellent, although didn’t quite meet the lofty promised runtime of 19.5 hours. Despite hoarding tabs in Chrome, and running Spotify and Slack in tandem, we still managed to get a full day’s worth of usage out of the machine, with the ThinkPad running dry after around 12-hours.
The Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 1 AMD has few surprises up its sleeve, but still manages to impress, delivering solid day-to-day performance and an excellent construction that feels rugged and designed for long-term comfort. Still, it’s not without its rivals, and with a base price of £1,259.99 (the model reviewed costs £1,499), there are other machines you might want to consider first.
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Three mouse buttons - does anyone use these?
Last year’s [10]Honor MagicBook Pro is a good shout for those on a budget. While it packs a weaker processor, it undercuts Lenovo on price but provides a bigger screen, more USB-A ports, and a keyboard of similar calibre. Honor just refreshed this machine, moving from AMD to Intel. While we haven’t yet tested the new version, the previous AMD-based model remains widely available.
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Another machine piquing our interest is [12]the LG Gram 17 , which just received a refresh at CES. This is priced fairly competitively with the T14s AMD Gen 1, but includes a larger 17-inch screen with an Excel-friendly aspect ratio of 16:10, as well as a fairly generous supply of ports. ®
Get our [13]Tech Resources
[1] https://www.lenovo.com/gb/en/laptops/thinkpad/t-series/ThinkPad-T14s-AMD-G1/p/22TPT144SA2
[2] https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-t-series/ThinkPad-T14s-G1/p/22TPT14T4S1
[3] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_personal_tech/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2YBqCR8KDflb-mF4ot7E7FgAAAAc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
[4] https://regmedia.co.uk/2021/02/02/screen_ts14.jpg
[5] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_personal_tech/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=3&c=33YBqCR8KDflb-mF4ot7E7FgAAAAc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D3%26raptor%3Deagle%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[6] https://regmedia.co.uk/2021/02/02/type_thinkpad_14s.jpg
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2020/09/29/lenovo_x1_nano_x1_fold/
[8] https://regmedia.co.uk/2021/02/02/rear_ts14.jpg
[9] https://regmedia.co.uk/2021/02/02/trackpoint.jpg
[10] https://www.theregister.com/2020/09/07/honor_magicbook_pro/
[11] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_personal_tech/front&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44YBqCR8KDflb-mF4ot7E7FgAAAAc&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[12] http://www.lgnewsroom.com/2021/01/lgs-2021-gram-laptops-stun-with-large-1610-aspect-ratio-screens-and-sleek-new-design/
[13] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Red pointy thing
Also, there are people (like me, and some of my colleagues) that hate the touchpad with a vengeance. I never managed to get used to it: I use it when I really really have to, but it always come unnatural to me.
Being mostly always in the same place my laptop now stay closed in a corner and I use an external full mechanical keyboard, mouse and monitors, but when I'm on the move the red button feel much more natural, if of course inferior to a proper mouse.
If anything, i would welcome a model without the touchpad: I've to actualy disable it, or I tend to accidentaly trigger random mouse movements with my hands otherwise.
P.S. Lenovo also sells external keyboards with trackpoint, and historically i remember some proper large one with it... never managed to get one, tough...
Re: Red pointy thing
I hate to point it out that the g-spot is mentioned, and given special treatment every time a lenovo thinkpad is mentioned on the register. And, as an obvious clickbait, it stimulates endless comments about how I love it or hate it or rub it, etc...
Re: Red pointy thing
I don't use the nipple myself, but have no problem with it being there for others to use. I'm surprised the author took a swipe at the trackpad buttons however. I hate buttonless trackpads. If I recall, Lenovo did experiment with removing the buttons on the T440. It was an abject disaster, the clickpad was widely hated (I had one and it was awful) and Lenovo backtracked just one year later and restored the buttons, albeit not the ones at the bottom of the trackpad.
I do agree however that Lenovo doggedly clinging to 16:9 panels isn't a smart move. Plenty of other manufacturers have started to introduce 16:10 and 3:2 screens on productivity laptops, it's a pity Lenovo are holding out here.
Re: Red pointy thing
Heh. Old Dell laptop here, pointy thing in the middle of the keyboard and a touchpad with not one, not two, but five clicky buttons.
I am however in the 'hate the touchpad with a vengeance' club - it just doesn't work for me for the sort of things I do - and despite using a Libretto for some time (years ago) with the pointy thing on the side of the screen and the buttons on the back, I still don't use the pointy thing.
External mouse for me, please, on a mouse mat. Yeah, I know, get with the times, Grandpa... YMMV.
Re: Red pointy thing
I have an X240 that has that buttonless trackpad. I found a model that can be used as replacement with some buttons, but boy is it finiky with the driver that is used. Has to be a specific version otherwise it does not play at all
Re: Red pointy thing
Well - they do exist at least.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00F3U4TQS/?coliid=I1GJJFUPK7F2EV&colid=35UKOL0BU0D6E&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it
I never quite got around to being fully happy with the trackpointer (cl1t-mouse), but loathe trackpads so tend to stick with a trackball anyway.
What would make sense (for me at least) would be a keyboard with a trackball located just beneath the space bar.
It is why I buy Thinkpads
TBH, for me the trackpoint is the key selling point. I hate a trackpad and on my laptops the trackpad is disabled
you’ve got to appreciate Lenovo’s ability to craft a computer, which remains unparalleled
I’ve got a Lenovo, and I’ve had a few others in the past. They’re very good, no-doubt. But unparalleled? No. They are far from unparalleled. They’re very good - but, in my view, they aren’t the best you can get.
That said, I haven’t yet had a rubbish Lenovo - so they’re right up there in terms of consistency. They’re consistently very good.
Price point
The higher priced ones have been excellent in my experience. Cheaper models, absolutely crap across the board, once again from experience. While I to get what I pay for, failure rate was just horrendous and not talking bottom of the line kit.
Re: Price point
A long time ago my employer had a lot of T40's and while I like Lenovo (or IBM at the time), I did not want to pay the same price. I got a R40 which was the same spec but a little thicker. In everyday use it was fine, but I did have a number of different PSU's around from the various T/X series from work. I plugged the R40 into one of the smaller ones and it made an odd noise. It got worse over a period of time and it was the charging circuit. While a T or X would work with the larger or smaller and just charged the battery at a different rate, the R series took offenc - new MB.
Shortly after I visited a friend to do an installation and I had my laptop open on the desk and she noticed it was getting low on power. I was under the desk and then heard that same distinctive noise. I asked from under the desk "did you just plug my laptop in ?", She replied "Yes" so I said "Oh great, you have just blown my laptop up"
Since then I would prefer to buy a refurb'd T or X - and they are generally rock solid
Re: Price point
Shows what an ignoramus I am doesn’t it - I didn’t even know that they had budget kit as an option. How spoiled am I?
officially named a "pointing stick" by Lenovo
It's unofficially called a G-spot because of where it is located.
Re: officially named a "pointing stick" by Lenovo
It's a nipple and always has been, hasn't it?
16GB LPDDR4x soldered.
it seems lenovo have taken this route long time ago. As it did with others, equally unwelcome. Removable battery? sd-card slot? Oh come on, they're like so 2010 it's just embarrassing to even mention them. Never mind the weight either...
p.s. and yes, I would like to swap my ram, as proven in my current, probably 3rd hand x220, which takes going over quadruple hoops to install 16gb ram. Soldered? Forget it :(
Re: 16GB LPDDR4x soldered.
The reviewed model is the *s model, T14s. It's slightly more ultra-booky/streamlined and hence more of a stock configuration. Go for the non-s T14/T15 model and you have mixed ram, some soldered, some user upgradable. I have 16GB base/soldered + 8GB; can upgrade to the 16GB + 16/32GB. The non-s models also have wired Ethernet and HDMI. Battery, and many other parts, are user-replaceable. No special screws required, and conveniently documented in the public Hardware Manual.
Re: 16GB LPDDR4x soldered.
Soldered RAM is annoying - but the T14s is the lower profile laptop. On the T14,proper at order time, you can configure the memory - one slot is 16G soldered but the second can take up to 32G for a total of 48G.
No Ethernet is probably standard for the form factor - the T14 has Ethernet - but most people might well use a dock for additional connectivity.
Mouse buttons - if you use the mouse buttons consistently, you don't wear out the trackpad - likewise with the pointing device if that's what you like. For writing a university dissertation length paper - you'll probably use a decent external keyboard / mouse
"grille on the bottom"
Doesn't that mean it'll fry when using it on a soft surface?
Red pointy thing
I'm always surprised that the red pointy thing never made it to 'proper' keyboards. Much easier to use than a mouse where you have to keep taking your hands off the keyboard.